The kitchen knife danced nimbly on the chopping board, like a happy fish.

The piece of ham lying flat on the cutting board was still juicy, and was evenly divided into small translucent pieces by the sharp blade.

The slices of golden ham were gathered together by Belkas with a knife, and then placed on a large porcelain plate.

"It's done. Now we can start cooking when Nia comes back from fetching water."

He soaked his hands in the basin, washed them, dried them with a rag, and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

If you concentrate on doing one thing, you will inevitably get tired.

What's more, he was almost busy today without much rest, and now Belkas's bones were full of exhaustion.

"Huh? This..."

Belkas stumbled and quickly held on to the edge of the table.

Just when he relaxed a little, the scene in front of him suddenly turned black, with some bright white stars shining in his eyes.

It must be that he was so mentally exhausted that his head was swollen and he even had hallucinations.

He patted his forehead and wiped his face with cold water. He felt a little better, at least not as blind as before.

"I hope everyone can be happy today."

If you use all the meat, fruits and vegetables in the kitchen as a lunch, it would indeed be a bit luxurious.

With the current supply difficulties in the village and the shortage of food, these fresh meats, fruits and vegetables are considered luxuries.

But Belkas didn't mind the expense. Although their family was not wealthy, it was not difficult for the whole family to eat well during his wife's pregnancy.

"Life flies by so fast! In the blink of an eye, Yuffie is about to give birth to a baby."

Belkas rested against the cupboard for a while, and suddenly remembered the recent past, and he couldn't help but sigh.

Belkas took out Poros's note from the apron pocket tied around his waist. The precautions on it were written in great detail. It seemed that there was no problem that the old doctor had not considered.

Even if there is really any problem, as long as Boros is really nearby, it won't take a while to find that person.

After all, the nearby villages have good relations with each other, and the folk customs are quite simple. As long as the villagers inform each other, it will not be difficult to find the famous doctor.

Belkas, who is a bit dull in the eyes of others, has unexpectedly good connections. The fact that many caravans in the town are willing to come to this village to do business is also related to Belkas's promotion.

The Belkas family is not native to this village.

In other words, they are actually outsiders. It is impossible for outsiders to establish themselves in this remote and ancient village without making some contribution.

In the beginning, their family was not welcomed by the elders in the village, and even suffered some unfair treatment. It was not easy for the Belkas couple to get over those days. But there is always a turn for the better.

When Belkas began to help the villagers survive the difficult winter, they began to be gradually recognized. Finally, with time and hard work, the family was finally truly regarded as a member of the village by the villagers.

"I'm a little tired. I'll squint my eyes a little later."

He didn't want his wife or daughter to see his listless look.

Belkas rubbed his tired eyes and couldn't help but yawn. Unexpectedly, after all this trouble, he became even sleepier.

Maybe I am a little overworked? In short, I am really not in good spirits lately.

Belkas shook his head, feeling that his body was as heavy as lead. He hadn't slept well these days, but he always had something to do.

"Hey! Brother Arob! Are you there?"

A voice with a thick nasal voice came from the front door, and at the same time the man showed his impatience. So Belkas immediately took off his apron, dropped his work and opened the door.

"What's wrong, Federer? What happened?"

He was still thinking about whether any more trouble would come to his door, but now it seemed that trouble had really come - and it was probably not just any ordinary trouble.

"The village chief asked me to inform you to go to the conference room for a meeting. There are important things to inform us."

The man at the door was holding on to the door frame and breathing heavily. It seemed like he had been running around non-stop since just now.

"Okay, I'll go later." Belkas nodded. He couldn't delay in such an emergency, but before that, he had to say hello to his family.

The man held his stomach and coughed twice, as if he had taken a breath.

"Okay, but hurry up, I'm going to notify the next one."

As soon as he finished speaking, the man trotted off to the next house. Looking at him in such a hurry, he thought there were quite a few people he wanted to inform.

Belkas immediately returned to the kitchen and placed the plates with the prepared ingredients on the table.

Although he couldn't make lunch himself due to time constraints, the rest could be left to Nia who was about to come back.

"Yuffie, I need to go out for a while,"

Belkas turned back and shouted to his wife in the house, "Nia, I asked her to go fetch water. She should be back soon."

"Well, you go ahead and remember to come back early."

After hearing his wife's reply, Belkas went out. When he was about to walk out of the low fence in front of his house, he looked back:

The sun was still shining brightly, and his wife in front of the window was waving to him. Her smile, which seemed to melt into snow and ice, had never changed over the years.

At some point, the apple trees in the small courtyard surrounded by fences have produced plump and bright fruits. How happy will Yuffie, Nia and the others be when they make apple pies?

"It's probably a matter of warehouse storage again, right? It's strange, it should have been solved last time. Is there any other problem?"

Although he remembered these things deeply, Belkas still turned his head and speculated about the content of the next meeting.

After all, there are really not many events that the village chief can summon urgently. This is just a small place to begin with, what big thing can happen?

Guessing is just guessing, and the real answer can only be understood when he arrives at the venue.

In order not to waste time, he took off and jogged all the way to the conference room in the center of the village.

Yuffie, who was still lying on the bed, watched her husband through the window. It wasn't until his back gradually shrank and finally disappeared around a corner that she withdrew her gaze and continued to stare at the ceiling.

There was nothing on the ceiling, just some whitewashed wooden boards with a few beams hidden inside. These wooden boards had no carvings and no pictures. Even if they were whitewashed, they were nothing to look at.

Yuffie was knitting a sweater, but after all, winter was about to begin.

She planned to knit one for everyone in the family to keep warm, and she had to prepare more for the new baby, but now she put the half-knitted sweater aside and looked at the monotonous ceiling in trance.

"Huh?"

Yuffie patted her cheek, and when the coolness on her fingertips stimulated her nerves, she got out of the hazy state just now.

"I...what happened just now? Neil said that he had something to go out for. Where is Nia? It seems that she will be back in a while."

She rubbed her temples and began to gradually recall what had just happened.

Although she didn't know exactly what was going on, she had the habit of suddenly losing consciousness occasionally.

It means that for a short period of time, I forget what I have done. It seems that my mind cannot control my body during that period, but most memories can be recalled slowly.

"I'm confused again..."

Yuffie calmed down her depressed mood for a while, then picked up the needle and thread beside her and continued knitting.

Now that she has a lot of free time in the day, she can only pass the time by knitting sweaters. Although she wants to do some housework like before, neither Belkas nor Nia seem to give her a chance.

"But lunch isn't ready yet, right?"

She made some calculations about the time Belkas spent cooking on weekdays. Although Belkas was quick at work, he was called to a meeting after only a short time of work. The always complicated and time-consuming lunch was probably not finished.

So since her body was fine and she still had plenty of time, she should do something.

"The day's plan begins in the morning... hmm? That's what they say, right?"

Yuffie put down her sewing. After all, knitting can be done at any time, but if lunch is not ready on time, it will be troublesome for the family.

"It's noon now, and I can't lie down anymore."

Yuffie had a wry smile on her face, even though Belkas wanted her to stay in bed and rest. But Yuffie didn't like staying in bed. On the contrary, she wished she could do more.

So she planned to get up from the bed. Yuffie propped up her clumsy body and smoothed the hair hanging down from her forehead.

She found a hair tie, a comb and a dressing box on the bedside table. She looked in the round mirror in her hand to make sure her hair was not crooked.

Finally, she patted her cheeks gently and took a deep breath. The cool air flowed into her breath, and her spirit immediately became refreshed.

I sat on the edge of the bed and groped the ground with my tiptoes, and soon found the pair of plush slippers under the bed.

Because she was still wearing that thin set of pajamas, it might make her body cold. She went to the closet to find a coat from her husband and put it on herself. The paunchy person in front of her in the dressing mirror looked casual and rustic.

Just like a country woman who is busy making a living.

But isn't it?

Now isn't she a country woman?

After emerging from her teenage years, her concern for appearance and dress had long faded away, and the warmth given by the coat draped over her shoulders also made her feel at ease.

Yuffie, who didn't care, went directly to the kitchen. She wanted to see what her husband had prepared for today.

Today's lunch is placed on the round table in the kitchen, but this is not quite accurate. After all, these are just ingredients for lunch. If they are not carefully cooked, they cannot be eaten.

Yuffie scooped some water from the bottomed pool, wiped her hands and face with a towel, and washed herself.

The next step was to cook. Although there was not enough water in the water tank, she could not cook the stew, but she could prepare the lettuce salad first.

Yuffie took the earthenware basin and poured the chopped fruits and vegetables into it, and then used several small dishes to mix the sauce.
To be continued...